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NEWS FROM
CAMBRIDGE HEALTH ALLIANCE
January 5, 2009
Cambridge Health Alliance Provides Innovative Treatment for
Opioid Addiction
Cambridge, Chelsea, Everett, Malden, Medford, Revere, Somerville,
Winthrop, MA…Are you concerned about your opioid drug use, or
that of a loved one? The holiday season is often a time of strain
and stress, especially for individuals and their families who are
struggling with addiction. Yet, the beginning of a new year is a
time when many people make efforts towards change. The Opioid Addiction
and Family Project may be able to help.
The Opioid Addiction and Family Project is a program designed to
provide high-quality, no-cost treatment for adults addicted to opioids,
which are chemical substances commonly used for pain relief, such
as heroin or oxycodone. The Project is a study conducted by researchers
at Cambridge Health Alliance (CHA) and Harvard Medical School to
examine if adding family counseling to individual counseling and
recovery medication improves treatment outcomes.
"We have had some tremendous success stories: young people
who have stopped out-of-control drug use and gotten their lives
back on track," said Mark Albanese, MD, CHA's Director of Addiction
Services. "Our communities are plagued by opioid abuse, so
we are fortunate that NIDA (National Institute on Drug Abuse) has
made this valuable resource available to us."
Adults seeking help for an opioid addiction may be eligible for
the program if they are between 21 and 65 years old and live with
a family member (spouse, intimate partner, parent, or other family
member). All participants receive free individual counseling, and
half of all participants also receive free family counseling. The
counseling consists of 32 sessions over 4-5 months.
Additionally, all participants receive free Naltrexone medication.
Naltrexone is an opiate blocker approved by the Food and Drug Administration
for the treatment of opioid dependence that has been shown to improve
treatment outcomes. Counseling sessions take place at CHA's Central
Street Health Center in Somerville, Mass.
For more information, please visit www.cha.harvard.edu/opioid or
call the Opioid Addiction and Family Project at Cambridge Health
Alliance at (617) 591-6055.
Cambridge Health Alliance is an innovative, award-winning
health system that provides high quality care in Cambridge, Somerville,
and Boston's metro-north communities. It includes three hospital
campuses, more than 20 primary care and specialty practices, the
Cambridge Public Health Dept., and the Network Health plan. CHA
is a Harvard Medical School teaching affiliate and is also affiliated
with Harvard School of Public Health, Harvard School of Dental Medicine,
and Tufts University School of Medicine.
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Media Contact
David Cecere
Media Relations Manager
Phone: 617-503-8428
Cell: 617-921-9613
Pager: 617-546-1879
dcecere@challiance.org
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